Dunia M. Garcia, DSW, LMSW is a Doctoral Lecturer at the Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College. She is a first-generation Dominican American social worker and educator with over 24 years of experience in community practice, educational equity, program development and administration.   

Her work centers collaborative practice and community building. Her interest stemmed from bearing witness to issues of inequity impacting marginalized communities.  Her commitment to social justice began as a student organizer fighting for educational reform in her home district- District 9 in the Bronx.  Her community practice deeply shaped her identity as a social worker in that reflective listening, building strong relationships, and impacting change through collaborative action are central to her practice.   

She currently serves as director of the Cabrini-Hunter Fellowship for Social Work and Nursing Students program at Silberman School of Social Work where she brings together social work and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students to learn with, about, and from each other- fostering interprofessional collaboration to improve health outcomes.   Previously, she was the director of the Community Navigator Program at Silberman, where she proudly served the East Harlem community, built meaningful partnerships, and promoted the economic empowerment of peer-led groups.

For the past five years, she has brought the Alchemy Method to graduate students, professionals, and community members to explore how personal and communal narratives shape identity, meaning, and a sense of belonging. In collaboration with Alchemy, Inc, she continues to explore the ways storytelling-through timeless myths and fairy tales-can deepen Self-understanding and foster community healing.